If you asked 100 men how to improve your bench press you would probably hear a range of different theories and approaches, very few of which had any scientific weight behind them. In today's article you will pick up three time tested techniques to improve any compound lift within just a few weeks.
It is important to understand that while you may consider the figure you can bench or squat to be of huge importance, you can still build a great physique without ever notching up a world record of Olympic standards.
Believe it or not, you can easily increase your compound lifts by as much as 40 pounds if you apply a few simple strategies to your training program, including:
1. Focus on bettering your grip strength.
2. Utilize time-served techniques such as Hulk warm-ups.
3. Put more focus on the negative portion of the move.
Not many people understand the true importance of grip strength when it comes to your big lifts. But make no mistake about it, a good grip makes for a more impressive move. In fact, you are generally doing something wrong if you don't feel your forearms giving way before you legs and back on an exercise such as the deadlift. Given that it is a significantly smaller and less powerful muscle than the others which are involved in the exercise, it is easy to understand why it is usually the first one to go.
Try to get a good mixture of exercises to test your grip. Moves like reverse curls, handshake curls and even something simple like clasping two weight plates together for as long as possible have been shown to improve grip strength dramatically.
While it's easy to see the importance of grip strength in pulling motions such as the deadlift, you may be wondering why it is important in things like the bench press. Well, your grip can come into play here to focus on pulling the bar apart as you lift and lower to and from your chest. This is a power lifting technique which is used commonly in underground gyms.
A reverse warm-up, otherwise known as a Hulk warm-up due to the fact Lou Ferrigno used the technique frequently, is another great way to boost any big lift. This involves using your warm-up set to go heavier than you plan to go in your working sets, thus tricking the body into recruiting more muscle fibers in the build up to your proper sets. While this might sound odd, it is a time-served technique adopted by many power lifters the world over. For example, if you plan on lifting 100 kg in a squat, try performing a set consisting of fewer reps with 110 kg (with a spotter, of course). Suddenly, that 100 kg lift seems remarkably easier than it normally would. This is because the body has reacted to your reverse warm-up by recruiting many more muscle fibers in the areas you are hitting, allowing you to push past things which were previously difficult.
Naturally, this technique works best when you use it as an occasional tool rather than using it all the time.
The final technique for increasing your compound lifts in the gym comes in the form of negative repetitions. The negative section of a repetition is the portion where your muscle isn't working, i.e. the phase of a bench press where you are lowering the bar towards your chest. Believe it or not, that is the phase which most people have the greatest difficulty with, not the lifting phase. It is also the phase where most people go wrong, lowering the bar too quickly. At least 50% of the benefits to a compound move can be found in correctly performing the negative phase of the move, so stop dropping down so fast on your squats and deadlifts.
Focus on using a weight heavier than you would usually go and have a spotter to help you do the concentric portion of the exercise before leaving you to do the negative phase on your own. Take your time on each rep.
Many people falsely believe endless chest exercises are the best way to learn how to improve your bench press but the truth is you need to focus on the often overlooked aspects. Grip strength and your ability to handle the eccentric phase of a lift play a massive role in determining how much weight you will ultimately be able to squat, deadlift or chest press. =
It is important to understand that while you may consider the figure you can bench or squat to be of huge importance, you can still build a great physique without ever notching up a world record of Olympic standards.
Believe it or not, you can easily increase your compound lifts by as much as 40 pounds if you apply a few simple strategies to your training program, including:
1. Focus on bettering your grip strength.
2. Utilize time-served techniques such as Hulk warm-ups.
3. Put more focus on the negative portion of the move.
Not many people understand the true importance of grip strength when it comes to your big lifts. But make no mistake about it, a good grip makes for a more impressive move. In fact, you are generally doing something wrong if you don't feel your forearms giving way before you legs and back on an exercise such as the deadlift. Given that it is a significantly smaller and less powerful muscle than the others which are involved in the exercise, it is easy to understand why it is usually the first one to go.
Try to get a good mixture of exercises to test your grip. Moves like reverse curls, handshake curls and even something simple like clasping two weight plates together for as long as possible have been shown to improve grip strength dramatically.
While it's easy to see the importance of grip strength in pulling motions such as the deadlift, you may be wondering why it is important in things like the bench press. Well, your grip can come into play here to focus on pulling the bar apart as you lift and lower to and from your chest. This is a power lifting technique which is used commonly in underground gyms.
A reverse warm-up, otherwise known as a Hulk warm-up due to the fact Lou Ferrigno used the technique frequently, is another great way to boost any big lift. This involves using your warm-up set to go heavier than you plan to go in your working sets, thus tricking the body into recruiting more muscle fibers in the build up to your proper sets. While this might sound odd, it is a time-served technique adopted by many power lifters the world over. For example, if you plan on lifting 100 kg in a squat, try performing a set consisting of fewer reps with 110 kg (with a spotter, of course). Suddenly, that 100 kg lift seems remarkably easier than it normally would. This is because the body has reacted to your reverse warm-up by recruiting many more muscle fibers in the areas you are hitting, allowing you to push past things which were previously difficult.
Naturally, this technique works best when you use it as an occasional tool rather than using it all the time.
The final technique for increasing your compound lifts in the gym comes in the form of negative repetitions. The negative section of a repetition is the portion where your muscle isn't working, i.e. the phase of a bench press where you are lowering the bar towards your chest. Believe it or not, that is the phase which most people have the greatest difficulty with, not the lifting phase. It is also the phase where most people go wrong, lowering the bar too quickly. At least 50% of the benefits to a compound move can be found in correctly performing the negative phase of the move, so stop dropping down so fast on your squats and deadlifts.
Focus on using a weight heavier than you would usually go and have a spotter to help you do the concentric portion of the exercise before leaving you to do the negative phase on your own. Take your time on each rep.
Many people falsely believe endless chest exercises are the best way to learn how to improve your bench press but the truth is you need to focus on the often overlooked aspects. Grip strength and your ability to handle the eccentric phase of a lift play a massive role in determining how much weight you will ultimately be able to squat, deadlift or chest press. =
About the Author:
Today's writer: Top physique coach Russ Howe PTI teaches you how to improve your bench press with these brand new tips. Discover how to build muscle with the expert knowledge on his fitness and nutrition website today.
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